Envelope



Feb. 22, 1966 YAM YEE 3,236,440

ENVELOPE Filed Dec. 5, 1964 Yam V e e INVENTOR.

BY Meg/5, LARK/N qwo AtemwcK United States Patent Oilfice 3,236,440Patented Feb. 22, 1966 3,236,440 ENVELOPE Yam Yee, 5839 Thrush, Houston,Tex. Filed Dec. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 415,628 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-82) Thisinvention relates to a novel envelope. More particularly the inventionrelates to an envelope cut from a single blank of paper and having novelclosing and securing means.This is a continuation-in-part of an earlierfiled and co-pending application No. 392,695 entitled Envelope filedAugust 28, 1964 by the same inventor.

The art is prolix with numerous examples of envelopes which haveattempted to solve the problem of providing a means for closing theenvelope, which closing means would be secure against unauthorized andundetected opening and which at the same time would provide thenecessary convenience in closing and using,

Moreover, it is desirable to have an envelope which is of simpleconstruction and which can be easily folded to the desired shape toprovide the necessary securing features as hereinafter specified. Noneof the prior art envelopes provide the convenience, security againstundetected opening and ease of forming as does the instant invention.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedenvelope which is easy to manufacture and which has novel closing andsecuring means.

Briefly stated, the envelope of this invention comprises a generallyrectangular front panel having attached along the lower edge thereof afront panel extension. There is also provided a back panel substantiallyequal in dimensions with the front panel and attached along the upperedge of the front panel. The back panel is provided with a pair oftriangular side flaps, one of which is attached to each end or sidethereof, and each of which is provided with adhesive means for securingthe flaps to the front panel and front panel extension. The back panelis also provided with a back panel extension attached along the upperedge thereof, which in turn has attached thereto a closing flap adaptedto be folded under the front panel extension in the closed position.

When the envelope is closed, the front panel overlays the back panel,with the front panel extension being folded down over the top portion ofthe front panel. The side flaps are folded over and adhered to the frontpanel and the front panel extension. With the envelope thus formed, theback panel extension is then folded down over the front panel extensionand the upper edges of the side flaps and the closing tab is insertedunderneath the front panel extension to thereby seal and close the envelope. In some embodiments of the invention the closing tab may beprovided with adhesive on the upper or lower surface.

Reference to the drawings will further explain the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one form of the envelope of thisinvention shown in the closed position.

FIG. 2 is a laid out plan view of the cut-out blank from which theenvelope is formed.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view showing the envelope as it is folded orformed just prior to inserting a message there- 1n,

Referring now to FIG. 2, the envelope of the instant invention isnormally cut from a single sheet of paper in the form of blank 11,formed with front panel 12 which is generally rectangular in shape.Front panel 12 has at tached along substantially the full length of thebottom or lower edge thereof a generally trapezoidal front panelextension 13 as indicated by fold line 14. Back panel 15 issubstantially equal in dimensions to the front panel 12 and is attachedthereto along fold line 16.

Back panel extension 17, which is generally in the shape of an isoscelestrapezoid, is attached to back panel 15 along the upper edge thereof atfold line 18. It will be observed that back panel extension 17 isattached along substantially the full upper edge of back panel 15, andthe ends of back panel 17 are tapered upwardly whereby the upper edge ofback panel extension 17 is of a shorter length than the lower edge ofback panel extension 17.

Closing tab 19, generally rectangular in shape, is attached to the upperedge of back panel extension 17 at fold line 20. It will be observedthat the upper or top edge of back panel extension 17 and the lower orbottom edge of closing tab 19 are of substantially the same dimensionwhich, in certain forms of the invention, facilitates the folding andsecuring as will be explained hereinafter.

In some embodiments of the invention herein, closing tab 19 may beprovided with adhesive means either on the top surface or the bottomsurface (as for example glue line 30) or on both surfaces. In addition,in certain embodiments front panel extension 13 may be provided with acoating of adhesive either on the top or bottom surfaces or bothsurfaces. It is to be understood that these adhesive coatings willgenerally be of the wettable type but may also be of the pressuresensitive type.

Each side of back panel 15 is also provided with a side flap 22, whichflaps are attached at fold lines 25, and are generally in the shape ofright triangles, and are adapted to fold over front panel 12 and frontpanel extension 13 in the closed position. It may thus be stated thatside flaps 22 are attached to back panel 15 at the base of the triangle,

Side flaps 22 are provided with adhesive means for adhering to frontpanel 12 and front panel extension 13, which adhesive means convenientlytake the form of glue lines 31 along the marginal edges thereof.

In forming the envelope from blank 11, front panel 12 is folded overback panel 12 along fold line 16. Front panel extension 13 is thenfolded downwardly along fold line 14 and over front panel 12. Side flaps22 are then folded along fold lines 25 so that side flaps 22 overlayportions of front panel extension 13 and front panel 12 and are adheredthereto.

At this point the envelope will take the shape shown in FIG. 3 and isready for the insertion of a message or other material therein. When itis desired to close and secure the envelope, back panel extension 17 isthen folded along fold line 18 such that back panel extension 17overlays front panel extension 13 and the upper edges of side flaps 22.Simultaneously, closing tab 19 is folded along fold line 20 and insertedunder front panel extension 13, thus completing the envelope as shown inFIG. 1. As indicated above, closing tab 19 may be provided with adhesivecoatings on the surfaces thereof, in which case the surfaces would bewetted or otherwise prepared for adhering the desired surfaces asindicated above.

In the closed position, as thus described, it will be observed that theenvelope is very secure and cannot be easily or readily opened withouttearing or mutilation thereof which would of course be easily detectedas an unauthorized opening. Hence, there is provided an envelope whichhas greater security than prior art envelopes. Moreover, the particularconfiguration of closing tab 19 and the manner in which it locks underfront panel extension 13 also adds to the security feature. Further, theenvelope of the instant invention is of simple construction and can beeasily formed and closed.

Modifications may be made in the invention as particularly describedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, theforegoing description is to be considered as illustrative only and isnot to be construed as a limitation upon the invention as defined in thefollowing claims.

3 What is claimed is: 1. An envelope formed of a single sheet of papercomprising:

a generally rectangular front panel,

2. The envelope as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said front panel extension is generally trapezoidal in shape and isattached to said front panel along substantially the full lengththereof, and

a front panel extension attached along the lower edge 5 said back panelextension is attached to said back panel of said front panel, alongsubstantially the full length thereof, and a back panel substantiallyequal in dimensions to said said closing tab is provided with adhesiveon at least front panel and attached thereto along the upper edge oneSurface th f, d of said frfmt Panel, the upper edge of said back panelextension is suba pair of side flaps each one of WhlCh 1s triangular instantiany the Same length as the lower edge f said shape and attached atthe base side thereof to each closing tab. end of said back panel, andadapted to fold over said front panel and said front panel extension,and each References Cited by the Examiner of said flaps being providedwith adhesive means for securing said flaps to said front panel andfront panel UNLTED STATES PATENTS and front panel extension, 180,199 7/1876 Chapman 22982 a back panel extension generally in the shape of atrape- 1,135,064 4/ 1915 Shipley 22982 zoid wherein the lower edgethereof which is attached 1 4 5,2 4 1923 o kowski 229 4 to said backpanel is of a longer dimension than the upper edge thereof, and adaptedto fold over said FOREIGN PATENTS front panel extension and the upperedges of said 723,493 l/ 1932 France.

side flaps in the closed position,

a closing tab attached to said back panel extension and JOSEPH R.LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

adapted to fold under said front panel extension in the closed position.D. M. BOCKENEK, Asszstant Examzner.

1. AN ENVELOPE FORMED OF A SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER COMPRISING: A GENERALLYRECTANGULAR FRONT PANEL, A FRONT PANEL EXTENSION ATTACHED ALONG THELOWER EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL, A BACK PANEL SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL INDIMENSIONS TO SAID FRONT PANEL AND ATTACHED THERETO ALONG THE UPPER EDGEOF SAID FRONT PANEL, A PAIR OF SIDE FLAPS EACH ONE OF WHICH ISTRIANGULAR IN SHAPE AND ATTACHED AT THE BASE SIDE THEREOF TO EACH END OFSAID BACK PANEL, AND ADAPTED TO FOLD OVER SAID FRONT PANEL AND SAIDFRONT PANEL EXTENSION, AND EACH OF SAID FLAPS BEING PROVIDED WITHADHESIVE MEANS FOR SECURING SAID FLAPS TO SAID FRONT PANEL AND FRONTPANEL AND FRONT PANEL EXTENSION, A BACK PANEL EXTENSION GENERALLY IN THESHAPE OF A TRAPEZOID WHEREIN THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF WHICH IS ATTACHED TOSAID BACK PANEL IS OF A LONGER DIMENSION THAN THE UPPER EDGE THEREOF,AND ADAPTED TO FOLD OVER SAID FRONT PANEL EXTENSION AND THE UPPER EDGESOF SAID SIDE FLAPS IN THE CLOSED POSITION, A CLOSING TAB ATTACHED TOSAID BACK PANEL EXTENSION AND ADAPTED TO FOLD UNDER SAID FRONT PANELEXTENSION IN THE CLOSED POSITION.